I’d show you more, but conventional marketing wisdom dictates I hold back…for now. But next month? Different story…

Anyway, onto the list…but first! Everyone’s favorite section…

Thing 1: The art

This month’s commission is by artist, Jeremy Hyler (website, bsky, instagram). I started following Jeremy on IG after my pals Brad and Lisa from Comic Book Couples Counseling clued me in. And then last month at Heroes Con, I noticed he was tabling, so I stopped to say hello.

I bought some of his books, chatted with him about his next project (Virulent will be a hit, mark my words!), and gave him a copy of Death of Comics Bookcase. Jeremy’s a super nice guy and a great artist, and he was also down to do an original commission of one of the main character’s in Macabre Valley #1, the werewolf priest

Look at this absolute stunner…

Easily one of the scariest versions we’ve had yet (and we’ve had some scary ones). I particularly love the color scheme Jeremy uses here. It’s amazing.

And it’s been so cool to see the many different takes on this character, from rising stars like Jeremy to legends like John McCrea to exciting comics risk-takers like Tony McMillen to other break-out artists like Alden Kaye.

There’s just something about a werewolf priest that screams Good Comics.

And now the list!

Thing 2: Best Comics of 2025 (So Far)

So, the usual caveats apply: I (obviously) haven’t read every comic of 2025, but I’ve read widely and paid attention to the books smart folks recommend (I even got on YouTube to chat with one of them!).

No manga on this list, and I’ve also limited the comics I feel are probably best associated with other years, including books like Jaime Hernadez Life Drawing (which is phenomenal), Caza: Arkadi and the Lost Titan, Shakara! (which I wrote about here), World Within the World (another review!), or the excellent series of new Richard Corben harcovers from Dark Horse. All great, but much of the work in those books was done well before 2025.

This list is just a good sample of where I’m at with my 2025 reading. It’ll be fun to see how picks change come December.

Let’s (finally!) get to it…

Batman - Dark Patterns
Writer: Dan Watters
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Triona Farrell
Letterer: Frank Cvetkovic
Publisher: DC Comics
Why It’s Cool: This is the best year for Batman comics that I can remember, dating back to my beloved childhood Brubaker/Rucka era. Absolute Batman is a disturbing (complimentary) alternate take, while Robin & Batman: Jason Todd as well as Batman & Robin: Year One deliver wonderful and varied sidekick tales. Meanwhile, one of my favorite writers — Matt Fraction — is poised to takeover the flagship Batman title this fall.

But my favorite Batman comic of 2025 is Batman: Dark Patterns. It’s as moody as a superhero comic gets, between writer Dan Watters ideas and the bold, interesting visuals of artist Hayden Sherman (colored to perfection by Triona Farrell). The overall narrative is tight and deliberate, and each individual issue is thrilling. It’s just plain old excellent comic book-ing.

Beat It, Rufus
Cartoonist: Noah Van Sciver
Publisher: Fantagraphics
Why It’s Cool: One of the (many) things I enjoy about Noah Van Sciver’s work is that I never quite know where he’ll go next, and that was certainly true with Beat It, Rufus, which shares Van Sciver’s usual flare for humor but little else with his recent work. It’s an absolutely hilarious book, though, one that doubles and then triples down on the delusions of its hapless main character. Rufus just loses over and over and over again without really learning much. And at the same time it never quite gets him down, so convinced is he of his greatness. Add to that a book that sports an actual leopard print spine with silver letters? And this is one I unabashedly recommend for your shelf.

Bowling With Corpses
Writer/Artist: Mike Mignola
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Clem Robins
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Why It’s Cool: It’s Mike Mignola creating a new universe of folktales, and it’s as dryly hilarious and fantastical as the title makes it sound. It also just feels like a gift to have an all-time great like Mignola reinvigorated and working on something this new deep into his career arc. I for one plan to savor it.

Read my full Bowling with Corpses review!

The Cartoonists Club
Cartoonists: Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud
Inker: Ray Baehr
Colorist: Beniam C. Hollman
Letterer: Jesse Post
Publisher: Scholastic Graphix
Why It’s Cool: It’s like Understanding Comics, plus new info about grassroots art…and scenes that will make you nostalgic for your own youthful stabs at artistic creation. I feel like I learned a lot from reading this book. But I also learned that I’d forgotten some of the joy of drawing and writing and being part of something pure with friends as a kid. What a nice surprise.

The Fables of Erlking Wood
Writer/Artist: Juni Ba
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: Goats Flying Press
Why It’s Cool: I wrote about this book earlier this week, so I don’t have too much to add here (see the link below for my in-depth thoughts!), but this is not only a great comic. It’s also supremely well-designed, and a wonderful art item to have in your home. Meanwhile, cartoonist Juni Ba just keeps getting better and better, and it’s a joy to follow.

Read my full The Fables of Erlking Wood review!

FML
Writer: Kelly Sue DeConnick
Artist: David Lopez
Colorist: Cris Peter
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Why It’s Cool: I love comics that use genre to tell personal stories. And I love comic that put genre tropes in a blender. This book does both, and what results is one of the most delightful and surprising monthly reads in comics. Writer Kelly Sue DeConnick’s scripts feel specifically engineered to let her very talented collaborator David Lopez go wild…and that’s exactly what he does in one of 2025’s true must-read comics.

Goobers
Writer: Cody Ziglar
Artist: Ryan Lee
Colorist: Kurt Michael Russell
Letterer: AndWorld Design
Why It’s Cool: As readers of Death of Comics Bookcase surely know, I’m a fan of artist Ryan Lee, who drew the amazing Bookcase monster that narrated the book. Ryan is — for my money — one of the best monster designers in comics. And it’s not just design. He’s also an ace at drawing kinetic monster movements, and he’s at his best here doing that for writer Cody Ziglar’s can’t-go-home-again Goobers. This is good teen horror/adventure fun, and it’s an absolute blast of a comic.

Read my full Goobers review!

Out of Alcatraz
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artist/Letterer: Tyler Crook
Publisher: Oni Press
Why It’s Cool: I have been a huge fan of each of these creators separately for many years, and I was thrilled to see them collaborate. It’s not a pairing that would have occurred to me, but it’s perfect (kudos to the editor who brought them together!). And this book has exceeded even my lofty expectations. It uses an actual historical event as a jumping off point to tell a riveting story about troubled, desperate men doing whatever they can. With one issue left as of this writing, this series is almost certain to end up on my year-end list, too.

Plague House
Writer: Michael W. Conrad
Artist/Letterer: Dave Chisholm
Publisher: Oni Press
Why It’s Cool: Plague House is my favorite weirdo horror book of 2025. This book puts a psychologically-tweaked new spin on the classic haunted house tale. It’s like creators Michael W. Conrad and Dave Chisholm reached deep into the twisted id of 2025, and then kneaded the nastiness they found there into a a facade for a familiar type of story. Chisholm’s cartooning in the final chapter of this one is really something, and it might just rattle you to your core (complimentary).

The Seasons
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Paul Azaceta
Colorist: Matheus Lopes
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Publisher: Image Comics - Giant Generator
Why It’s Cool: I am a big fan of horror concepts that surprise me in basically every way, and The Seasons is certainly that. It’s loaded with a bright sense of impending doom. It’s got a cast of quirky characters who serve the plot well, and it’s taking a sort of pastoral folklore world and injecting it with a dark carnival. All of the creators involved are vast talents, and they all seem to be operating outside their comfort zones. I also can’t quite wrap my head around what the pitch for this book was and where it might all be headed, and I love that.

Tongues
Writer/Artist: Anders Nilsen
Publisher: Pantheon Graphic
Why It’s Cool: This book is grandiose and gorgeous. It’s got three separate storylines (one of which is drawn directly from Greek Mythology) that slowly weave together in surprising and sometimes abstract ways. Moreover, the visual storytelling is risky and non-conventional, with sensibilities-shattering panel layouts and a few pages that physically pullout, for good measure. It’s huge and epic and immersive, and you want to read it.

Read my full Tongues review!

Ultimate Wolverine
Writer: Chris Condon
Artist: Alessandro Cappuccio
Colorist: Bryan Valenza
Letterer: Cory Petit
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Why It’s Cool: I knew I wanted to have one of Marvel’s new Ultimate Universe comics on this list, as I’ve been enjoying those books quite a bit. But Ultimate Spider-Man and The Ultimates both feel like 2024 books. To me, the 2025 revelation here has been Ultimate Wolverine, which delivers a savage take on the character that is also a slow burn alternate universe story for an entire franchise. Making it all the better are the narrative risks taken by the excellent creative team. This is one of those books that reminds me of how exciting it was reading comics as a teen. I’m a huge fan.

Thing 3: Oathbound!

I’d like to shout out one more great comic, albeit one that’s not entirely out yet. This one is from my collaborator and pal Luke Horsman. It’s called Oathbound, and it’s currently in pre-launch on Kickstarter…find it here.

Luke drew the fantasy comic Goldmask! that appeared in Death of Comics Bookcase, Vol. 1. He’s got a hyper-kinetic storytelling style that lends itself to big fantasy set pieces, exquisitely-fun character design, and all the jokes you can pack into a panel.

I reviewed Oathbound for The Beat (read that here), and I’m also working with Luke on a sequel to Goldmask! for Death of Comics Bookcase Vol. 2.

Oathbound is a raucous reinterpretation/blending of Icelandic and Norse mythology, via comics. And it’s well worth checking out.

Thing 4: See you at San Diego?

This Wednesday, I’m headed to San Diego Comic-Con.

I have complicated feelings about this show. It’s a giant industry gathering where most editors and many of the biggest names in comics congregate for signings, panels, and after-hours socializing at hotel bars.

For creators at my level, it can feel like you’re never doing enough there to promote yourself. I know from talking to more established creators that that feeling never entirely goes away, but it’s definitely humbling for me…every damn time.

This year, though, The Beat is nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Comics Journalism, so I’ll get to attend the week’s big awards show, sit up front, and maybe even celebrate a win, fingers crossed.

If you’re headed there too, let me know! Would love a chance to grab a coffee or say a quick hello with as many people as possible.

Thing 5: Superman!

Everyone’s talking about James Gunn’s new Superman movie. My pal Joe Grunenwald, for example, wrote a piece for The Beat about how he needs more Clark Kent like Christopher Walken needs more cowbell (is that ref cool again? eh, whatever). You can read that here.

But I had a blast with Superman, surprisingly so. To be honest, I’d written off superhero movies as a dying fad, headed into the sunset like westerns. This movie changed my mind, and I wrote a quick-hit review on my Letterboxd, which you can find here…but in short: good movie, great time, recommend. It’s stuffed and absurd, just a burst of comics maximalism on screen, the likes of which we’ve never really seen before.

Also, it was nice to see some representation for people who have untrainable dogs by no fault of our own.

Conclusion

So, if you want to reply to me with your favorite books of the year so far (especially ones not on this list that you think I should read), I’d love to hear them. I may even share them in this space next month.

Otherwise, have I mentioned you can follow the pre-launch page for Macabre Valley #1 now? Because you can. And I’d love for you to do that by going here…thanks!

Cheers, be well, and please forgive any and all typos above!

-Zack Q.